| Author | Content |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
June 26, 2008 8:55 PM Post #5164261
| Hi! My husband is growing towering columns of 3 varieties of hops on our chainlink fence and wonders if there is anyone here to discuss homebrewing (aka making beer) with here.
Or is this even the place to ask this question? |
MsKatt
Mid-Michigan, MI (Zone 5b)
July 8, 2008 3:44 AM Post #5221685
| I'm growing Willamette hops this year, but I haven't brewed anything...YET. :)
Michelle in Michigan |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
July 8, 2008 11:15 AM Post #5222405
| Oh, good!
Do you have an japenese beetles on your hops? |
MsKatt
Mid-Michigan, MI (Zone 5b)
July 8, 2008 5:46 PM Post #5224456
| No, I don't. Not yet anyway! |
balvenie
Marysville, WA (Zone 7a)
 August 16, 2008 5:19 PM Post #5422769
| Home brewing is great fun, cheaper and you get better beer. When you do the boil be sure it is somewhere that the boil-over from the sugary wort can be easily cleaned up. I find that a keg system using a five gallon soda keg and CO2 tank is the most convenient way to store and serve. Supplies are available from home brew and wine making stores, on line or in the yellow pages. Most recipes are for five gallon batches and there are many dozens of good books with recipes and directions. There might even be a home brew club in your area. |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
August 16, 2008 6:54 PM Post #5423093
| Balvenie, do you brew much?
My husband's been brewing for around 5 years now, and you're absolutely right about the beer being better. He usually brews in the garage over a portable gas burner.
We don't have a local brew club, but he checks in with on-line brewers from time to time.
Wish we had a brew club tho...it'd be great fun to sample other people's brews. |
balvenie
Marysville, WA (Zone 7a)
August 16, 2008 7:35 PM Post #5423194
| I used to brew a lot, often had 10 or 15 gallons in the old garage fridge but haven't done any lately. Due to start up a batch of Scottish Ale soon though. There are so many great craft breweries around here all I need do is take my keg in and have them fill it up. The average $40.00/5 gallons or $1.00 per pint is better than the $3.50 pint with dinner, but not as good as making your own. Still, there isn't any mess to clean up. Some of the neat books on brewing are "The Home Brewers Companion" by Charlie Papazian. Good luck with your brews. |
anastatia
Vancouver, WA (Zone 8a)
August 18, 2008 2:30 AM Post #5429318
| I wish I had a friend or relative who brewed. I love doing brew research w/ lab coat on and sample, sample, sample. |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 13, 2008 7:39 AM Post #5665000
| yes, my husbandhas a whole private hop yard of his own and has been brewing for decades. I'll try and make the appropriate introductions.
Melis |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
October 13, 2008 11:34 AM Post #5665273
| It's been a while since my first post. HOpe you all are doing well! We've got a few bags of our own dried hops in the freezer now...feels good. |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 14, 2008 1:50 AM Post #5668622
| Don just put away another little sack of his own--he makes plugs with a little container and a plunger close to the same size. May have picked that up in Brew Your Own. Saves a lot of room and presses the air out of the product os it lasts longer.
I was sick, down with a migraine, so didn't talk to Don yet. But I still want to put you in touch with him he may have some info you might be interested in. I will do that now.
Melis |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
October 14, 2008 4:35 PM Post #5670371
| Melis, that's very nice of you...take your time! Nothing worth rushing over on this one... |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 14, 2008 10:29 PM Post #5671719
| This is Melissa's husband.
I'm a brewer and hop grower. She mentioned that I should post links to the Yahoo Groups that I own and/or moderate in. These might be worth joining to ask questions, especially in the hops group, which has well over 2,000 members.
Grow-Hops:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grow-Hops/
Zymurgy (general homebrewing):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zymurgy/
Brewing equipment:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrewingEquipment/
We had no Japanese beetles on our hops but we did use a trap for about a month. None on the roses, either. Several of the hops did well enough that they'll be here next year. I planted more than I had space for when they get a bigger root system, with the intent of possibly getting rid of the less productive ones. Cascades did exceptionally well. Centennial and some of the others did also. Sunbeam will stay just because it grows in partial shade well and it's supposed to be a substitute for Saaz.
The Yahoo group on hops listed above is probably the most active group on that subject anywhere. We have a rhizome exchange in the springtime, and are thinking about an exchange for the dried, harvested hops also. The rhizome exchange allows those without any to share and swap to get at least one free rhizome. Shipping costs are involved, but nothing for the rhizome.
Hopefully, this helps. I don't spend a lot of time on here myself, but if someone wants to discuss hops, brewing (the Zymurgy group), or brewing equipment, the above links should be helpful.
Donald
This message was edited Oct 14, 2008 6:30 PM |
MsKatt
Mid-Michigan, MI (Zone 5b)
October 15, 2008 1:11 AM Post #5672365
| Sweet! I just joined. :)
Michelle in Michigan |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 15, 2008 2:22 AM Post #5672740
| Michelle? Sure you joined one of those listed above? Don gets a moderator message when new people join, and he says he didn't get any approval or join up message. You sure you got onto the right list?
Melis |
MsKatt
Mid-Michigan, MI (Zone 5b)
October 15, 2008 2:38 AM Post #5672812
| Yep, sure...already got my "welcome" message:
Welcome to the Grow-Hops group at Yahoo! Groups.
You're set to connect with your group, so drop by soon.
Be sure to check out all the simple (and free) ways to
communicate, share, and discover: |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 16, 2008 6:07 AM Post #5677497
| Don's Hop yard -- well, part of it anyway. He's filling up my freezer with hops! I'm going to have to get the turkey out and eat it early to make room!--M 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
anastatia
Vancouver, WA (Zone 8a)
October 23, 2008 9:51 PM Post #5709328
| I wish I lived next door to one of you! testing 1 2 3 . . . |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
October 27, 2008 6:12 AM Post #5720789
| well you know, one of Don's hop lists, the one he started on Yahoo, I think, started up a hop exchange. Similar to what we do here with seeds, they traded around all sorts of kinds of hops for shipping...might've been a nominal fee if you didn't have anything to trade, but I know Don got about ten different kinds of hops and it was a good thing, too because some of them did squat while others went mad and produced like there was no tomorrow. Good way to get into it if you're interested. |
echinops
Logansport, IN (Zone 5b)
October 27, 2008 11:35 AM Post #5721010
| I think the hop exchange is a marvelous idea.
Melissande, I want to thank your husband for chiming in here...I keep trying to show this post to my DH, but he's been too busy. He's a heating and cooling guy and this time of year, he works his buttinsky off. |
Melissande
Chillicothe, OH
November 13, 2008 6:03 AM Post #5785289
| Well the hop exchange won't ramp up until spring, I don't think, so you've got time.
Melis |
